I'm Quitting.

Yes, that title is true. And it all came about rather suddenly. I'm still kinda reeling from the news, so let me back up and explain from the beginning.

Mike has been job hunting for the past 6-ish months. I've always wanted to get out and explore the country (world?) so he has been looking for jobs all over the place. We were considering anything and everything!

After a solid 6 months of applying, he had been hired (!!) for a handful of jobs that all fell apart right at the last second (damn you, government contractors!). It was a stressful process. We didn't know if he should keep applying or if we should just stick it out for awhile. And just this past Wednesday night, we both kind of made the decision to suck it up and stick it out here (in Northern VA) for awhile. We have great jobs, we like where we live, we have great friends... why give it up now? We could stay put for another half a year or so and then look for something new. And in the meantime, I could start looking around for ways to slowly ease myself into the world of self-employment while I still had a full-time job.

But isn't that how it always happens? The second you assume something won't happen... it does.

Thursday (that very next day) I went to work like any other day. I had an awesome day at work. I joked around with my coworkers. I got a lot done. I had just published an awesome (in my oh-so-humble opinion) post the night before and was getting great comments and emails on it. I went on a walk at lunch and the weather was gorgeous. It was a productive day and I left happy.

I came home and Mike met me at the door. That was very unusual- why on earth was he meeting me at the door? He told me to sit down and he handed me a beer (also unusual- but hey, it's 5 o'clock somewhere). He told me he had been offered a position at a company in his hometown of Rochester, NY. Wait, what?!

He had been talking and interviewing with this company on and off for a few months (maybe 3 or 4?) but it had been such a sloooooow process that I had kinda assumed the job wouldn't happen. After he had gone through so many almost hires with other companies, I hadn't wanted to get my hopes up for another.

But it had happened! He was officially offered a job!! So we celebrated for a minute. And then we talked about whether it was a good idea. Then we went on a walk. And talked some more. Then I cried (I had held it together for a solid 2 hours, that's impressive). Then we opened a bottle of champagne. Then we went to Chipotle because it was 8pm and we hadn't eaten yet. Then back to the house where I couldn't force down anything more than the tortilla and a few bites of my burrito bowl. (and anyone who knows me knows that I love Chipotle. You'll never again see me only taking a few bites!)

It was scary, but we knew what we wanted to do. We were going to move to Rochester. I was excited (and scared out of my flippin mind) because I knew this was the perfect chance to quit my job and have some time to see if I would sink or swim on this whole self-employment thing. The irony didn't escape me that I had just posted about wanting to pursue self-employment. I most certainly hadn't expected a situation to arise so quickly where I'd get a chance to put my money where my mouth is. (is that how the saying goes? that sounds awkward... oh well)

So it was time to tell everyone.

But here's the kicker: this was going to be totally out of left field to my family. No one in my family knew I was even remotely interested in finance or computers or blogs or self-employment or anything. So not only was I telling them that I was moving 6 hours north, I was also telling them that I didn't have a job lined up, nor did I want one, because I wanted to make a living online, oh and by the way I have a blog! Kind of a lot to handle, huh?

But they handled it very well. And for that, I will forever be grateful. <3

The next morning (Friday)* I knew I needed to tell my job. So I went in to work and was so nervous I almost vomited told my boss and his deputy. Then I told about 5 other coworkers. Everyone was so genuinely excited for me. And I only teared up about 153,247 times and only cried once. I'm such a girl.

Between my family's reaction and my coworkers' reactions, it was the most scary and happy and emotional and tear-filled 24 hours that I've ever had in my almost 25 years on this planet. But it was so, so great.

So here's where we are: Mike has 2 weeks left at his job. I have 3 weeks left. We'll make our move up north over Columbus Day weekend, then we'll stay with Mike's parents for a month or so until we figure out where we want to live. And throughout all of this, I'll figure out what the heck I want to do with my new found freedom.

Im not going to lie: it's really really scary to make such a big life change. But above all the scary thoughts, I am just

so.

flippin.

excited!

*If you ever find yourself in the situation where you need to quit your job, I would strongly suggest breaking the news on a Friday. Everyone's so excited about the weekend that they can't help but be excited for your new endeavor. It's especially helpful to let your boss know when he's scheduled to leave the office early that day. Nothing can get him down when he's only working a half day!